


Life Lesson

by Hubris_BNL



Series: The Adventures of Aaron Burr [3]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Aaron Burr: 13 years old and insecure, Alcohol Abuse, Charles Lee: a human douche canoe, Hurt/Comfort, James Madison: giver of the tough love, M/M, Mentions of Violence, Thomas Jefferson: literal raging storm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-09
Updated: 2016-04-09
Packaged: 2018-06-01 04:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6500662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hubris_BNL/pseuds/Hubris_BNL
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aaron Burr is invited to a frat party <em>what could possibly go wrong!?</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Life Lesson

Aaron’s first year was finally coming to a close and to tell the truth, he couldn’t be happier to have it over…actually he still had summer courses to take, but other than that, he was feeling great! Summer was here and honestly, there was nothing like summer in the city.

He knew that Thomas was coming by later that evening to spend the rest of the week with James before classes finished for good. He’d do his best to stay out of the dorm for, oh at least the first three evenings.

After Jefferson’s first visit, Aaron thought it best not to go near the dorm until at least two days after he had arrived. He always stayed away for three.

He’d found out that there was an incredibly comfortable couch inside the Geography building and he would spend the night there, only sneaking back into his dorm in the morning to get changed and brush his teeth, and then he’d be gone again.

He was done for the day, his last class having ended a few minutes earlier, and he found that evening was already approaching. Maybe if he hurried, he’d be able to grab his stuff before Thomas showed up, so he hitched his backpack higher on his shoulders and started his trek towards his building.

On his way there, he happened to walk by two guys posting what looked like flyers on a nearby pole. They must have felt his gaze because both turned around to look at him. One wore a smirk and he gave off a bad vibe. The other simply looked like a lackey.

“Hey,” the one in charge called out to him, “you’re that genius kid, right?”

Aaron could only nod, feeling very small all of a sudden. The guy shoved his pile of fliers into his lackeys arms and began to walk towards Aaron. The boy told himself that he should run away as fast as he could, but he found himself unable to move.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, honestly its impressive.” The man smiled down at Aaron and he found himself easing somewhat, praise was always Aaron’s weak spot.

“Listen,” he continued, waving his friend over, “there’s gonna be a party tonight; you should come, get the _real college experience_ and all that shit.”

He held out a flyer to Aaron, who looked at it warily. He was hesitant in taking it, knowing what these kinds of parties were like. But the man pressed him.

“C’mon kid, everyone’ll love it if you’re there.”

“They will?” Aaron felt a little spark of hope in his chest; did people actually like him that much?

“For sure,” he said as Aaron took the flyer, “if anyone asks, just say Charles Lee invited you alright? You’ll get the VIP treatment.”

Burr couldn’t help but feel excited at the thought of going to a college party. A small part of him knew that it was a bad idea, but his little 13 year old self chose to ignore this.

“Ok!” Aaron held the pamphlet in his hand, grinning up at Charles Lee, who smirked down at him.

“Good, don’t cop out on me kid. This party is gonna be off the rails.”

Holding the flyer tight in his hand, Aaron nodded quickly before jogging towards his dorm. As he ran, he looked at the information on the paper. The party started at 10:00 which would give him a few hours to get his homework done and get ready. Thomas would probably arrive about the time he left, so there was no real problem there.

When he got to the dorm, he hastily unlocked it, racing inside to get his work done. James was seated in the kitchen, making tea when he saw Aaron burst in, an excited grin on his face.

“What’s up?” he asked, never having seen Aaron this excited, except for when James had taken him to the aquarium at the end of their first semester.

Aaron looked up, ready to tell James that he’d been invited to an actual college party! But he stopped himself, knowing that James would not approve. As with many other things Aaron had wanted to participate in over his first year, James had always made the case that he was only 13 and that university events could get especially rowdy. This had always appealed to Aaron’s logical side and he always listened.

Not this time. He wasn’t even going to give him to chance to change his mind.

“Nothing.” He said simply, wiping the grin off his face, returning to his usual neutral demeanor.

He could practically feel Madison’s disbelief and suspicion, but James never got a chance to voice this, as Aaron shouted a quick,’gotta do work’ and bounced into his room, shutting the door behind him.

It was a few hours later when Aaron finally finished all his work and checked the time. It was 8:30, giving him an hour to get ready and some time to actually find the place. Closing his books, he announced to James that he was taking a shower. James announced back that Thomas was arriving in about an hour.

After getting clean, Aaron rushed back into his room, suddenly thinking he had no idea what people wore to parties. Thinking for a moment, he decided to do what he always did when he didn’t know the answer, look it up on google.

After finding what seemed like the most appropriate picture, he did his best to mirror it with his own clothes and he had to admit, he didn’t look half bad. He had just finished putting on his socks when there was a knock at the door. Aaron checked his watch, 9:45. Perfect.

He heard James getting the door followed by Thomas exclaiming his joy. The 13 year old rolled his eyes. Love was weird and gross. He slipped on his shoes and exited his room, finding both men already looking like they were going to get it on.

“ _Woah_ , okay that’s gross, can’t you wait until I leave?”

“Good to see you too, little man.” Thomas grinned, patting him gently on the head. Aaron shook him off with a glare.

“Thomas.” He acknowledged before heading to the door. He was stopped by James’ voice.

“Where are you going tonight?” he asked suspicion evident in his voice.

“The Geography building, like usual.” Aaron lied.

“Mhm, you gonna need your backpack?”

“Not tonight” Aaron was getting frustrated, what was with the 20 questions? “Don’t worry about it James.”

He swept out of the dorm, slamming the door shut behind him. Before he left, he checked his pockets; he had his phone and keys. Good.

He pulled the flyer from his pocket, checking the address written there, and realized thankfully, that it was a house not too far from his building, and he began his walk.

It was about 10:15 when he arrived at the house and it looked like the whole place was already in full swing. Aaron let out a nervous breath, clenching and unclenching his hands, and, with his signature neutral smile, walked as confidently as he could to the front of the house.

The front door was open, so he simply wandered in, earning some strange glances. He began to wonder if this really was a bad idea, and was just starting to rethink it when Charles Lee appeared at the top of the stairs in the foyer.

“Well, if it isn’t the prodigy of Princeton College!”

A few of the more drunk people cheered loudly, actually unsure of what they were cheering for but enjoying the chance to cheer anyway. Aaron felt a blush rising to his cheeks, still feeling the need to run out the door. Lee came down the steps and put a hand on the back of Aaron’s neck, leading him through the house.

‘You weren’t thinking of leaving, were you? You just got here.”

The grip Lee had on him was strong, erasing any concept of escape from Aaron’s mind. The older man led him through the house, announcing him as he had on the stairs. Aaron was starting to feel uncomfortable, when a glass of something was shoved into his hand. He looked up at Lee.

“You look nervous, kid. This’ll help you relax.”

Aaron knew what was in the glass, he knew he shouldn’t, he hesitated and Charles Lee noticed.

“C’mon kid, don’t be a hard ass. You gotta loosen up, or else I don’t know whether the others will want to keep you around.”

The boy found himself blushing again, his 13 year old mind terrified at being publically thrown out of a college party for being stuffy. Taking a deep breath, he shot the drink, downing it in one go. Lee grinned down at him, thinking about what a great night this would turn out to be.

Over the course of the night, more glasses were thrust into Aaron’s waiting hands, and the world got increasingly blurry, but Aaron didn’t mind, he felt great! Everyone liked him, there were cheers every time he did a shot. He was having a ball!

Across campus, James and Thomas were taking a break, James cooking dinner for them as they’d been non-stop since Aaron left. At the thought of his roommate, Madison began to feel worried again, checking his phone anxiously.

Just as he put it back on the table, it began to vibrate. Not wasting a moment, he picked it up.

“Hello?”

Thomas came out of the bathroom to James speaking worriedly into his cellphone. He came and sat at the table, watching his boyfriend pace as he spoke. Something was wrong. Finally, the man hung up, putting the phone in his pocket and rushing into the bedroom.

“James, what is it?”

“It’s Aaron,” he shouted from the room, returning dressed and pulling his shoes on his feet, “Can we use the car?”

“Of course,” Thomas said, “what’s going on?”

“I just got a call from Philip Freneau, he said that he saw Aaron wasted at a frat house.”

“Let me grab my shoes.”

They got in the car and James relayed the address, stuttering as he spoke. Thomas didn’t say a word, but his eyes were dark, bordering on murderous. They pulled up in front of the house and if it was possible Thomas’ face became darker.

The place was going nuts; people were hanging out of windows, screaming and high off their asses. It was a wonder that no one had called the cops yet. Thomas began marching towards the house, James at his heels. Once they got inside, the taller man stopped in the foyer, letting out a bellow which silenced the entire front of the house.

_“LISTEN UP! WE’RE LOOKING FOR A DRUNK 13 YEAR OLD! WHERE THE FUCK IS HE!?”_

Fingers pointed to the interior of the house and Thomas continued on, his face like thunder. What they found in the living room ignited their rage. A large circle of people had formed, all bellowing and howling into the center of the ring. Over their heads, Thomas could see two figures grappling. One was little Aaron Burr, indeed pissed as all hell, throwing punches where he could against a man twice his size.

Thomas snarled.

**_“AARON BURR.”_ **

The room went silent. The entire _house_ went silent. Thomas stood at his full height, no longer slouching and no longer fooling around. He stood a good head taller than everyone in the room and his eyes, they were dead on Aaron. The ring of people parted noiselessly for him and he walked easily through towards the 13 year old, James right behind him.

When he reached Aaron, he knelt down in front of him, looking him over as the inhabitants of the house watched, not daring to make a noise.

“Jesus, Aaron.” James breathed.

Thomas took the boy by the shoulders, taking in his glassy and bloodshot eyes. He was about to blast the kid when he noticed just how frightened he looked, and also the large purple bruise which was forming on his face. He twirled around to the man Aaron had been fighting.

“Did you do this?” he hissed, and the man shook his head, holding up his hands, “Who did?”

But the man didn’t answer, so he turned back to Aaron.

“Aaron, who did this to your face?”

Aaron stared up at him slowly, lips quivering. He said what he’d been told to say.

“Charles Lee invited me.”

Leaving James to get Aaron into the car, Thomas found Charles Lee in a bedroom with a girl who really seemed like she didn’t want to be there.

“D’you do that to the kid?” Thomas asked, advancing on the man. Lee scoffed.

“Had to get the little bitch motivated. Nothing a crowd likes better than a fight.”

“ _Right_.”

Thomas returned to the car with bloodied knuckles. James didn’t ask why, only mentioned that Aaron had thrown up on the sidewalk. When they got back to the dorm, Thomas took Aaron by the arm, ripping him away from James and ignoring his boyfriend’s pleas about being gentle.

He dragged the boy into the bathroom; Aaron didn’t put up much of a fight. Setting him by the wall, Thomas went to the shower, turning the knob to cold before grabbing hold of Aaron again and throwing him in. The cold water hit the boy and he let out a shriek, attempting to race out but Thomas kept a firm hand on him.

He watched as Aaron’s eyes became less clouded and more terrified. He had no idea what was happening. From the doorway, James watched, and once Aaron was fully drenched and entirely sober, he said softly,

“He’s had enough Thomas.”

Ever conscious of his boyfriends advice, Thomas reached over and turned the tap off, kneeling down so that he was eye level with the shivering Aaron.

“James could you grab a towel?”

Returning with a towel, Thomas took it, beckoning Aaron forward. The boy looked frightened but inched forward anyway, allowing Thomas to envelope him in the towel. He didn’t make a sound as the taller man dried him off, only looking up when he stopped.

Thomas was staring at Aaron, his face serious. He had never seen him serious before and decided he didn’t like it. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” Jefferson hissed at him and Burr blinked tiredly, feeling once again incredibly woozy.

“ ‘m sorry.” He mumbled, looking down at his hands.

“Do you know what could have happened to you!? It could have been so much worse! You’re lucky you only have bruises!”

“Aaron, you’re smarter than this,” James said from the doorway, “you’re a goddamn genius, what made you think getting wasted was a good idea!? You’re 13 for god’s sake!”

“He said…” Aaron was unsure of how to proceed because as he thought about it, there was only one reason he drank, one gigantically stupid reason, “He said they wouldn’t like me if I didn’t.”

It hit James like a brick. Aaron Burr may have been a genius, but he was only 13, complete with all the insecurities that come with 13 year olds. He rubbed a hand over his eyes, suddenly very tired himself.

“Listen to me Aaron,” he said gently, kneeling down next to him beside Thomas, “Charles Lee is a manipulative bastard, he never liked you and neither did any of those people in that house.”

Aaron fidgeted slightly, staring at his feet and Thomas looked wide eyed at James.

“People who pressure you into things that make you uncomfortable aren’t looking out for your best interests. They only want to see you crash and burn for their own enjoyment. Those people are sick, and only want to hurt you. Do you understand me?”

Aaron’s lips were tight but he nodded.

“You can’t allow yourself to be pressured, alright. If you feel uncomfortable, just say no. You’ll find out real easy who cares and who doesn’t.”

James stood up, staring down at Aaron whose eyes were still downcast. He shivered in his wet clothes.

“Go get changed and go to bed. You’re not going to class tomorrow.”

Aaron nodded mutely, hands moving up to clutch the towel as he marched silently past the two men and into his room. Thomas stood up, looking at James with a newfound respect.

“Harsh, Jemmy.” He chuckled. James shrugged.

“I’ve got 8 siblings Thomas; I know how to use tough love.”

Jefferson grinned at his boyfriend, “Maybe you could show me a little… _tough_ love.”

“You’re hopeless.” James sighed with a smile. The two men laughed, before quieting down and staring at the door Burr had disappeared into.

“I’m glad the kid’s okay.”

“Me too, you teach Lee an effective lesson?”

“Let’s just say that that boy’s gonna need an awful good plastic surgeon.”

“Good.”   

**Author's Note:**

> Another prompt for some Tiny Burr hurt/comfort with T Jeffs and Jemmy. Poor Aaron, but he must learn these things as the tiny that he is. B/c Aaron may be a prodigy but he still hasn't even gone through puberty.  
> If you have any requests or really anything at all, hit me up @hamilanne


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